Les effets du bénévolat sur l’accès à l’emploi : une expérience contrôlée sur des jeunes qualifiés d’Ile de France

This study assesses the effect of volunteering during university studies on job access in the Paris region for young qualified job applicants. The study was performed on experimental data using correspondence testing. We estimate the effect on job access of volunteering in one of the following associations: Scouts et Guides de France, a sport federation, Protection Civile, Croix Rouge française, AFEV, 30 Millions d'Amis, Secours Populaire and Restos du Coeur. Four occupations unrelated to the activities of these associations were examined in banking and IT sectors. They are distinguished by their skill level and degree of contact with customers they imply. The design for this correspondence testing helps to assess the impact of volunteering on access to employment by making the difference between two potential effects: a higher human capital and the signal of volunteering. For each of these occupations, we built 13 fictitious CV of job applicants similar in all characteristics, except for a significant activity during their studies, volunteering or having a paid-job. Between April and July 2010, we sent 7,553 applications in response to 581 job offers. Within each profession, the 13 fictitious applicants have essentially the same chances of getting a job interview. When a difference occurs, it is unfavorable to the volunteer. This result suggests that currently, in the studied occupations, employers do not value the volunteer nor the skills acquired by young people who performed these activities. In the It sector, some volunteer activities introduce dissonance in an application, so the chances the candidate access a job interview are somewhat lower, other things being equal. It is possible that the employer anticipates a lower availability due to volunteering. This type of profile may also be considered as nonstandard in this type of sector, employers rewarding only the technical and operational characteristics penalizing substandard ones.(This abstract w(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)